Cyber 101: the UK govt’s new £1.1 million cybersecurity strategy

Digital Catapult has raked in £1.1 million in funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The new inflow of funds will be used to work on Cyber 101, a business advice and mentoring scheme that will assist new UK cybersecurity firms in the scaling process. Also featuring in its objective is the programme’s effort to increase the size of UK’s cybersecurity market and to lend a hand in improving the success rate of early-stage businesses in the field.

Announced today, the funding is part of the government’s £1.9 billion National Cyber Security Strategy to help protect the country against potential cyber threats.

Commenting on the announcement, minister of state for digital and culture Matt Hancock said:

I’m delighted to announce up to £1.1m Government funding to help our small and medium cyber security firms get the support they need to grow their businesses. This will help keep us at the forefront of the global fight against cyber threats and attacks.

He continued:

We’re determined to make sure the UK remains a world-leading digital economy, the best place for innovative firms to start up and scale up, and that we are the safest place to live and do business online. This funding, delivered by the Digital Catapult consortium, and working alongside the new National Cyber Security Centre, will play a vital role in delivering those aims.

The statement says that the programme is slated to run for four years, starting with a pilot project that will take place between February and March this year.

Dr Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult, said:

Cybersecurity is a tier one threat in the UK with the threat landscape evolving at a rapid pace. The government is committed to supporting the UK’s ability to defend itself from cyber-attack and take action against cybercriminals. A significant part of this comes down to removing barriers to growth and supporting innovation in this space, in turn helping foster leading cyber security companies in UK. The Cyber 101 programme is specifically designed to help achieve these aims.

The Cyber 101 programme will start off in Northern Ireland and London as a pilot programme, and will then be scaled-up to other sites across the UK.